Production of motor fuel



United States PatentO 2,865,851 PRODUCTION or MOTOR FUEL Frederick William Bertram Porter, Sunbury-on-Thames, England, assignor to The British Petroleum Company Limited, London, England, a British joint-:sto'ck corvporation No Drawing. Application October 19, 1955 Serial No. 541,525

Claims priority, application Great Britain October 22, 1954 5 Claims. '(Cl. 208264) This invention relates to the production of motor fuel,

and more particularly to the production of a high quality motor gasoline from certain polymers'produced "in the treatment of gasoline obtained by the steam cracking of thermal-polymerization at a low temperature in order to :stabilize it against gum formation, and the resulting gasoline boiling below 200 C. is suitable for use :as-amotor gasoline without further treatment. During this operation, a higher boiling polymer is formed amounting to between and 16% by weight of the cracked gasoline, and the principal object of the present invention is to utilize this polymer or a portion thereof for the formation of a further quantity of gasoline which is of high quality.

It has now been discovered that said polymer or a part thereof may be catalytically hydrogenated at elevated temperature and the hydrogenated product fractionated to yield a gasoline fraction of high quality. It has also been discovered that a fraction rich in aromatics and boiling above the gasoline range may be separated from the hydrogenated product.

According to the invention therefore, said polymer or a part thereof is catalytically hydrogenated at elevated temperature and pressure and the product of the hydrogenation process is fractionated to yield a gasoline fraction.

According to a further feature of the invention, the product of the hydrogenation process is fractionated to yield a gasoline fraction and a higher boiling fraction rich in aromatics.

According to yet another feature of the invention, a lower boiling fraction of said polymer, for example a fraction having a boiling range of 200 to 300 C., may be subjected to the hydrogenation process.

The conditions of the hydrogenation process may vary within the following limits:

Temperature 650850 F.

Pressure 500-1000 p. s. i. ga.

Space velocity Up to 10 v./v./hr. of liquid feedstock.

Gas recycle rate Up to 10,000 S. C. F./B.

The catalyst may be any known hydrogenation catalyst but a catalyst consisting of the oxides of cobalt and molybdenum supported on alumina is preferred.

Methods of carrying the invention into effect will now be described by way of example only.

Example 1 A steam cracker gasoline was subjected to polymerization treatment at a pressure of 375 p. s. i. ga., a temperature of 200 C. and a residence time of 8 hours. The

2,865,851 ."Patented Dec.

After Polymerization Before and removal Polymeri- 0fca.=16%

zation wt. Polymer Specific Gravity 60 F./60 F 0. 7865 0. 8085 A. S. T. M. Distillation, C:

I. B. P

5%". 35 60 10% 44 70 20% 63 30% 86 97. 5 40% 103. 5 108. 5 Z50% 123 :60% 137 131 70% 151. 5 141 80%- 164. 5 152 90% 188 F. B. P.- 199 184 Bromine Number 77. 5 '45 Octane Number .(Motor Method) 82. 2 80 Octane Number Research Method clear) 96. 5 94. 1

The hydrogenated polymer had the following properties:

Specific Gravity 60 *F.-/-60 F "0.8835 A. S. T. M. Distillation, C.:

I. B. P 44 2% 61 5% 71.5 10% 85 20% 103 30% 124 40% 148.5 50% 60% 191 70% 210 80% 230.5 90% 257 F. B. P 325 Bromine Number 3.3 Aniline Point, C 17 Diesel Index 0.4 Hydrocarbon Type Analysis (A. S. T. M. D. 875):

Aromatics, percent vol 71 Olefins, percent vol 3 Naphthenes and Parafiins, percent vol 26 The hydrogenated polymer was distilled to yield fractions boiling below and above 200 C., such fractions having The same steam cracker gasoline as in Example 1 was Esubjected topolymerization treatment under the sam conditions as in Example 1. A distillate fraction of the polymer Was then hydrofined under the following conditions:

Pressure, p. s. 1. ga -4 700 .Temperature, F 780 Space Velocity, v./v./hr 1.0 Gas Recycle Rate, S. C. F./B 4000 The polymer distillate fraction had the following propertiesbefore and after hydrofimng:

Feedstock, Hydro- Distillate genated, Polymer product Yield on Total Polymer, Percent wt 50 Yield on Steam Cracker Gasoline, Percent wt. 8 Speclfic Gravity 60 F./60 F 0.9725 0.9010

A. S. 'I. M. Distillation, 0.: I

- I.B.P 194 52.5'

2%--. 212 64 217. 5 78 107 220 97. 5 222 158 227 192 232 214 231 225 242. 5 234 251 244. 5 259. 5 259. 5 273 283. 5 F. B. P -Q 277 Out Bromine Number 2. 8 Octane Number (Research Method clear)- 97. 4

Hydrocarbon Type Analysis F I A.Meth

Aromatics, Percent voL. 71. 6 e Olefins, Percent vol i 1.2 Naphthenes and Parafiins, Percent vol 27. 2

' I claim:

1. A process for the production of high quality motor gasoline from the high boiling polymer which is formed by thermal polymerization of certain highly unsaturated components of steam cracked gasoline in subjecting steam cracked gasoline to a low temperature thermal polymerization treatment to stabilize it against gum formation, and which polymer is removed from the treated gasoline as a waste product amounting to between about 10% and 16% by weight'of the steam cracked gasoline, which process comprises catalytically hydrogenating at least part of 'said polymer at a temperature in the range of from about 650 F. to 850 F., a pressure in the range of from about 500 p. s. i. g. to about 1000 p. s. i. g., a space velocity not in excess of about 10 v./v./hr. of liquid feedstock, and a gas recycle rate not in excess of about 10,000 S. C. F./B., and fractionating the resulting hydrogenated product to yield said high quality motor gasoline.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein the product of the hydrogenation process is fractionated to yield in addition a higher boiling fraction rich in aromatics.

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein a lower boiling fraction of the polymer is subjected to the hydrogenation process.

4. A process according to claim 3, wherein said lower 25 boiling fraction has a boiling range of 200 to 300 C.

-.5. A process according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogenation catalyst consists of the oxides of cobalt and molybdenum supported on alumina.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY MOTOR GASOLINE FROM THE HIGH BOILING POLYMER WHICH IS FORMED BY THERMAL POLYMERIZATION OF CERTAIN HIGHLY UNSATURATED COMPONENTS OF STEAM CRACKED GASOLINE IN SUBJECTING STEAM CRACKED GASOLINE TO A LOW TEMPERATURE THERMAL POLYMERIZATION TREATMENT TO STABILIZE IT AGAINST GUM FORMATION, AND WHICH POLYMER IS REMOVED FROM THE TREATED GASOLINE AS A WASTE PRODUCT AMOUNTING TO BETWEEN ABOUT 10% AND 16% BY WEIGHT OF THE STEAM CRACKED GASOLINE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CATALYTICALLY HYDROGENATING AT LEAST PART OF SAID POLYMER AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 650*F. TO 850*F., A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 500 P. S. I. G. TO ABOUT 1000 P. S. I. G., A SPACE VELOCITY NOT IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 10 V./V./HR. OF LIQUID FEEDSTOCK, AND A GAS RECYCLE RATE NOT IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 10,000 S. C. F./B., AND FRACTIONATING THE RESULTING HYDROGENATED PRODUCT TO YIELD SAID HIGH QUALITY MOTOR GASOLINE. 